A Toast to French Toast

Today I want to talk eggs. Why? Because there are eggs that are eggs and then there are eggs that are EGGS. The ones sold by Divine Harvest Family Farms at the Newport Beach Farmers’ Market on Sundays are undeniably the latter. They’re EGGS. Delicate rounds of gooey goodness, sent into the world from the innards of a golden Goose chicken who dreams in rainbows and sings into the bright, morning like a sunshine canary (whatever that might be). And yes, the EGGS are ideal for French Toast.

So, for today’s Make Your Market segment, I’m going to share my French toast recipe, which was passed down from my grandpa, who I remember as standing for what seemed like hours in my black-and-white kitchen, hovering over the bread and making sure it was properly soaked. In the end, the soak is worth the bite because unsoaked French toast is just toast and what’s the point of those glorious EGGS if you aren’t gonna use ’em?

Ingredients

1 loaf Cranberry Walnut Carrot Bread (I get mine from BakeShack OC. If you’re not into the complex bread, BakeShack OC also sells a delicious brioche loaf. Also pro tip: The stand opens earlier than 9 a.m., so get there before the market opens to snag a loaf and then also buy the cheddar jalapeño bread because #YUM.)

1/3 cup whole milk (Almond milk, cashew milk, goat’s milk all work, too …)

1/2 tablespoon vanilla extract

1/4 teaspoon salt2

1/2 tablespoon butter

2 eggs (from Divine Harvest Family Farms)

Instructions

In a bowl, mix the eggs, milk, salt and vanilla extract. Soak the bread (sliced) in the egg until it becomes almost too soft to transfer to a pan. Do not underestimate the importance of a thorough soaking; it’s critical to ensure the successful, delectable outcome of your French toast.

In a sauté pan, melt the butter. Once melted and crackling, place the bread slices in the pan and cook until golden brown on one side, then flip and repeat. Serve with warm, maple syrup and slices of whatever fruit fills your fancy. A summer morning never looked—or tasted—so good.